OK so maybe the ego is not what everyone would consider part of our spirit. But I would like to introduce you to the man who turned me on to OCR. And he is a really spiritual guy. Dr. Kevin Gyrina is to blame for getting me into this awesome sport.
I showed up at the gym one day, ego fully intact. It was the kind of gym I love. Dark, iron everywhere, cranked music, and lots of sweat. But it also had some unusual elements that intrigued me. A climbing rope. A ten-foot wall. A bunch of big tires. I wondered what it was all about.
The owner introduced himself, asked me a few questions, and put me through a few general fitness paces. Then he asked me to climb up and over the ten-foot wall. Ego said, "Sure. Coming right up."
I stepped back about ten paces then charged the wall. I planted my right foot about halfway up, then pancaked. Shrugged it off then tried again. Same result. Then I got the lesson. "Here's the technique, appropriate for where I think you are ability-wise," said the owner.
Now, I could have ignored him. Stuck to my ways, Convinced myself that I was getting over that wall my way. But ego shut up and I listened and followed instructions. I got right up and over - easy. On to lesson two.
"Now let's see if you can climb up this fifteen-foot rope."
"Sure," I said. "Just like in high school." Right, Ego conveniently forgot that I could not do it in high school. What made me think I could do it now? Three rounds of P90X? Certainly I was unstoppable. The wall was just a fluke.
I did not get two feet off the ground.
Again he kindly showed me the proper technique. I left ego on the floor and zipped right up.
One of the mantras of this gym is "Humble". I will never forget it. As I coach people in the gym or on the course now, I follow that same pattern that the owner taught me. Be humble. Be helpful. Be kind. For those of you at the beginning of your OCR journey, be humble too. Be teachable. Be grateful. Accept the help offered to you. Team up with others on the course. It will make their day. You'll make lots of new friends that way. That's one thing I really love about the people in OCR. We seem to make easy friends because we are all in this together.
Kevin, you win the Mud Smear award today my friend. Thanks for bringing me aboard and helping me to learn to leave my ego dead and buried.
Double Ropes
My favorite obstacle
Friday, February 27, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Mental Recovery
Way before P90X, I hated yoga. I was going to a gym, working out regularly in the cardio room, which I had to myself, practicing JKD. Invariably at 3:45, a lady would come into the room and turn off the lights. She wouldn't ask. She just did it. She was the yoga instructor. I guess it was room prep. Softly discourage the violent martial artist guy out so the calm and peaceful yogis could om in. I don't know. It didn't matter. But it went on for months that way until one day my knee (pre-surgery) was bothering me so bad. I sat on the floor and rubbed it. I had been living with the pain for quite some time. On a scale of 1 to 10 it was about a constant 3. Just annoying.
Instead of killing the lights, the yoga lady came over to me and said, "Do you remember how you hurt your knee?"
Honestly, I did not. It had happened long ago. Probably something stupid I did. Even today I don't remember - anymore. But that day, she asked me to pause and remember. And I did. Then she said, "As long as you hold onto that memory, you hold onto the pain."
Here's what happens. It was something stupid I did. That much I recall. And the feelings and memories that go along with it stir up every time the resurfaces. Whether conscious of it or not, a lot of electro-chemical effects start all over again, just as powerful as the moment I first hurt the knee. I remembered what I did, how stupid I felt, and the knowledge of lingering pain to come.
Until we let go of that memory and emotion, we never fully recover from injuries. As soon as all that mess came back to my mind, I let it go, and the pain in my knee significantly diminished. We were both delighted. And we became friends.
So when P90X came along shortly thereafter, I was fully primed to do yoga. You better believe it.
Injury is bound to happen in OCR. Use this powerful technique to mentally and emotionally recover.
Now for my readers I want to introduce you to a new facet of this blog - the Mud Smear Award. It will go to the person who, totally at my discretion, deserves that muddy badge of honor. Today, it goes to my OCR trainer Chad Mason. I caught a picture of him doing the yoga crane pose while on vacation, way out on a tree limb, hanging way out over the ocean. Very cool Chad.
Instead of killing the lights, the yoga lady came over to me and said, "Do you remember how you hurt your knee?"
Honestly, I did not. It had happened long ago. Probably something stupid I did. Even today I don't remember - anymore. But that day, she asked me to pause and remember. And I did. Then she said, "As long as you hold onto that memory, you hold onto the pain."
Here's what happens. It was something stupid I did. That much I recall. And the feelings and memories that go along with it stir up every time the resurfaces. Whether conscious of it or not, a lot of electro-chemical effects start all over again, just as powerful as the moment I first hurt the knee. I remembered what I did, how stupid I felt, and the knowledge of lingering pain to come.
Until we let go of that memory and emotion, we never fully recover from injuries. As soon as all that mess came back to my mind, I let it go, and the pain in my knee significantly diminished. We were both delighted. And we became friends.
So when P90X came along shortly thereafter, I was fully primed to do yoga. You better believe it.
Injury is bound to happen in OCR. Use this powerful technique to mentally and emotionally recover.
Now for my readers I want to introduce you to a new facet of this blog - the Mud Smear Award. It will go to the person who, totally at my discretion, deserves that muddy badge of honor. Today, it goes to my OCR trainer Chad Mason. I caught a picture of him doing the yoga crane pose while on vacation, way out on a tree limb, hanging way out over the ocean. Very cool Chad.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Recovery Required
Yesterday I published a long list of my injuries and surgeries. At the wise old age of 53 I firmly believe that if I had incorporated recovery into my workout routines way back when I started at age 16, that list might be a bit shorter. While I have no scientific evidence to back that up, consider this.
What I do now far exceeds the amount and intensity of workouts I did the first 35 years. Extreme is a fair term to use. My mind and body goes through a lot. But I don't get hurt anymore. I only aggravate old injuries if I am not careful. The big one I watch out for is the herniated L5 disc.
I prevent injury now by recovery. I use three very important steps in my weekly recovery. First, I get plenty of sleep. Second, I do yoga. Third, I foam roll. I am a huge proponent of all three. Foam rolling may sound foreign to a lot of folks so here it is. It's a massage. But you do it yourself. You are in complete control of the time, intensity, and application areas. For about $75, you are your own personal masseuse for the rest of your life. Not that I don't mind the spa occasionally. But with weekly routines, that would get expensive. Personally I like the Rumble Roller. You can get it on Amazon. Best investment I ever made.
Why foam rolling? It takes all those knots out. If you leave the knots in, they become stress points in your musculature. They can cramp. They stay sore. They create added stress. I foam roll to prevent all that. And, it is incredibly relaxing. I combine yoga and foam rolling into about an hour a week and I feel like a million dollars afterwards.
The other recovery mode I wanted to mention was the weight factor. I maxed out at 215. I now weigh 175, five pounds below what I was at age 18. I did that with two simple changes. I stopped drinking a can of soda and eating a chocolate bar every night. Notice I did not say I cut them out of my diet. I tried that once (cutting out sugar entirely). Bad idea. The crash was horrible. I'll drink a soda maybe once a month. I eat chocolate daily. Just not at night. Why? Because sugar spikes at night don't burn efficiently. They interfere with your sleep. They can lead to buildups of fat. Sugar has its proper place in recovery, but that's for another post.
The other simple change leading to my weight loss was P90X. The aspect that made the difference was intensity. When I went to the gym, I would stretch in the sauna to work up a sweat. Because otherwise, I never sweated in the gym. Why? Because I would do a set. Rest a few minutes. Repeat. Useless. Dial it up! Use proper form, crank the music, and put your body to work. Sweat and feel the burn.
All that too I will cover in later posts. Right now I want you to start on your road to recovery. Buy a foam roller. Start doing yoga. I swear, yoga is a sweat fest. It is hard. That's what makes it so good.
Leave a comment and let me know how you're doing.
What I do now far exceeds the amount and intensity of workouts I did the first 35 years. Extreme is a fair term to use. My mind and body goes through a lot. But I don't get hurt anymore. I only aggravate old injuries if I am not careful. The big one I watch out for is the herniated L5 disc.
I prevent injury now by recovery. I use three very important steps in my weekly recovery. First, I get plenty of sleep. Second, I do yoga. Third, I foam roll. I am a huge proponent of all three. Foam rolling may sound foreign to a lot of folks so here it is. It's a massage. But you do it yourself. You are in complete control of the time, intensity, and application areas. For about $75, you are your own personal masseuse for the rest of your life. Not that I don't mind the spa occasionally. But with weekly routines, that would get expensive. Personally I like the Rumble Roller. You can get it on Amazon. Best investment I ever made.
Why foam rolling? It takes all those knots out. If you leave the knots in, they become stress points in your musculature. They can cramp. They stay sore. They create added stress. I foam roll to prevent all that. And, it is incredibly relaxing. I combine yoga and foam rolling into about an hour a week and I feel like a million dollars afterwards.
The other recovery mode I wanted to mention was the weight factor. I maxed out at 215. I now weigh 175, five pounds below what I was at age 18. I did that with two simple changes. I stopped drinking a can of soda and eating a chocolate bar every night. Notice I did not say I cut them out of my diet. I tried that once (cutting out sugar entirely). Bad idea. The crash was horrible. I'll drink a soda maybe once a month. I eat chocolate daily. Just not at night. Why? Because sugar spikes at night don't burn efficiently. They interfere with your sleep. They can lead to buildups of fat. Sugar has its proper place in recovery, but that's for another post.
The other simple change leading to my weight loss was P90X. The aspect that made the difference was intensity. When I went to the gym, I would stretch in the sauna to work up a sweat. Because otherwise, I never sweated in the gym. Why? Because I would do a set. Rest a few minutes. Repeat. Useless. Dial it up! Use proper form, crank the music, and put your body to work. Sweat and feel the burn.
All that too I will cover in later posts. Right now I want you to start on your road to recovery. Buy a foam roller. Start doing yoga. I swear, yoga is a sweat fest. It is hard. That's what makes it so good.
Leave a comment and let me know how you're doing.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Why I Should not be an OCR Mud Master
Age 0 - 26 - left inguinal hernia
Age 16 - shingles
Age 19 - snapped left anterior ligament of ankle
Age 26 - first heart attack
Age 26 - second heart attack
Age 32 - L5 herniated disc
Age 49 - left knee miniscus partial arthroscopic removal
When I started running cross country in my Junior year of high school, I discovered I had muscles in my legs and abs. The definition encouraged me to become a better athlete. Because before that I was the kid always picked last and made fun of. So my buds and I started lifting iron in the basement. I have not stopped for much since.
I noticed in my late forties that I was not making any improvements in my workouts. I could not get rid of my love handles. I was still going to the gym 4-5 days a week for an hour. But nothing. My weight maxed out at 215 (I'm 6'2"). I had enough.
P90X was the start of my emergence from mediocrity. I did three rounds. Bought P90X2 and did a few rounds. Ran a half-marathon with my wife for my 50th birthday bucket list. And then I discovered OCR. That's when I became addicted to fitness.
By fitness I mean not just my physical fitness. I mean total health, Mind, body, spirit. My family and I eat over 80% organic and local. What a huge difference that has made. I have my wife to thank for that transformation. But my heart is in OCR. It is just plain fun.
If you're like me, you are an OCR nut, running in the master's division. Usually, that includes anybody 40 years plus. I'm now 53, in the best shape of my life, and loving every second. This blog is for you, to help you get there, stay there, and play there.
Sundays are rest, recovery, yoga, and foam rolling days. They are critical to your fitness. Don't skip them. Next blog, I'll tell you all about them.
Feel free to comment and connect.
Age 16 - shingles
Age 19 - snapped left anterior ligament of ankle
Age 26 - first heart attack
Age 26 - second heart attack
Age 32 - L5 herniated disc
Age 49 - left knee miniscus partial arthroscopic removal
When I started running cross country in my Junior year of high school, I discovered I had muscles in my legs and abs. The definition encouraged me to become a better athlete. Because before that I was the kid always picked last and made fun of. So my buds and I started lifting iron in the basement. I have not stopped for much since.
I noticed in my late forties that I was not making any improvements in my workouts. I could not get rid of my love handles. I was still going to the gym 4-5 days a week for an hour. But nothing. My weight maxed out at 215 (I'm 6'2"). I had enough.
P90X was the start of my emergence from mediocrity. I did three rounds. Bought P90X2 and did a few rounds. Ran a half-marathon with my wife for my 50th birthday bucket list. And then I discovered OCR. That's when I became addicted to fitness.
By fitness I mean not just my physical fitness. I mean total health, Mind, body, spirit. My family and I eat over 80% organic and local. What a huge difference that has made. I have my wife to thank for that transformation. But my heart is in OCR. It is just plain fun.
If you're like me, you are an OCR nut, running in the master's division. Usually, that includes anybody 40 years plus. I'm now 53, in the best shape of my life, and loving every second. This blog is for you, to help you get there, stay there, and play there.
Sundays are rest, recovery, yoga, and foam rolling days. They are critical to your fitness. Don't skip them. Next blog, I'll tell you all about them.
Feel free to comment and connect.
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